Vista,
I know you want to give hope, I do too. I am just wanting him to understand as an AFROTC cadet, if he gets rated, the initial Q from DoDMERB does not equate into being PPQ(Potentially Pilot Qual) for the AF. He has an impediment, and for him, if he wants rated he should get into therapy now.
AFROTC at UMDCP, or at any AFROTC det will send all rising C400's with rated slots to Wright Pat for a 3 day physical, not the 90 minute you take as a hs sr. 25% of the rated cadets that DS went with to WPAFB failed the EKG and had to be administered an EEG. Non-rated do not go to WPAFB.
He needs to understand that there is a difference between Q and PPQ. He needs to understand that this exam will not occur until his C400 yr. DS left WPAFB as PPQ, he became PQ(Pilot Q) @ 6 weeks later, and we sat on our hands for those 6 weeks.
DS commissioned in May with a rated slot. 3 cadets had their lives changed because of that 3 day physical. All were scholarship, and had passed the DoDMERB exam, no waivers needed.
Cadet1 was selected as an alt. from the rated board. In April, 30 days prior to commissioning, he was informed he was no longer an alt. If he passed the rated DoDMERB, he was going rated.
~~~ He learned that a rated cadet (different det) could not get a waiver regarding the results from his exam last summer, thus that cadet was now non-rated. This opened a slot for him.
Cadet2 lost her rated slot. She never went through the waiver process. It was black and white, her sitting height was too short for rated. End of subject. Period. Dot.
Cadet3 kept her rated slot with restrictions. Like cadet 2, her sitting height was an issue, but only for ejection seat air frames. She is going to UPT, but the AF has already tracked her to heavies.
The point is each one passed that exam with no DQs for scholarships when they were 17, each one got scholarships. Only when cadets had to take the rated DoDMERB exam their lives changed.
He needs to address the fact that if he passes the exam now, it doesn't mean he will pass the rated. He needs to have plan B in place. If he decides that non-rated is not for him, and he is scholarship he has until May to call the ball, or risk the fact that they can force him to pay the money back or enlist.
If this was my child, I would do a lot of research, and I would pm kp2001 for guidance. kp2001 is a flight doc. As a flt doc. kp knows the parameters and if that means he goes on his own dime to a specialist for the parameters, he should. I say that because many scholarship cadets forget that after graduation they owe 4 yrs AD. The cost of the exam maybe a few hundred out of pocket, the cost of not doing the exam could be their own happiness which is priceless.
He needs to be proactive now.
